Confidence, Composure Help Brewers Stave Off Dodgers' Rally In Game 1

A late Dodgers rally turned into a one-run nail-biter for the Brewers, who held on for a 6-5 victory in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series Friday at Miller Park. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

The Milwaukee Brewers knew it wouldn't be easy.

Up, 6-1, early against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series Friday night at Miller Park, there was a feeling of confidence in the home dugout.

They just weren't content.

And with good reason. The Dodgers mounted a late rally against the Brewers' vaunted bullpen while their own relief corps held in check a lineup that chased Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw early.

The Brewers, though, locked in when it mattered most. After allowing an RBI single to Matt Kemp that made it a two-run game, Jeremy Jeffress struck out Yasiel Puig to get Milwaukee out of the eighth without further damage. Los Angeles got within a run when Joc Pederson walked and scored on Chris Taylor's two-out triple off Corey Knebel in the ninth.

Knebel left Taylor, representing the tying run, standing at third base by striking out Justin Turner to lock down the victory -- Milwaukee's 12th in a row -- and a 1-0 leading the best-of-seven series.

"You knew it was coming," Milwaukee infielder Travis Shaw said of the Dodgers' comeback attempt. "We knew we weren't just going to steamroll them, 6-1. They faced the meat of our bullpen and did a pretty good job but we held on and we're up, 1-0 but we'll have our work cut out for us tomorrow."

Those final two innings were a little gut-wrenching but the Brewers, who've been playing the most important game of the year for the last few weeks, never wavered.

During their 12-game winning streak, the Brewers won seven games by two runs or less and won four more by no more than two runs during their red-hot September. Overall, they're 33-19 in one-run games this season and have come from behind to notch victories in 42 games this season.

It's not an ideal way to win a game, let alone a pennant, but it's certainly worked for the Brewers.

"What we went through the last three weeks has been key," Shaw said. "We've played a lot of close games; a lot of must-win games. Today was another one of those games when we felt like we needed to find a way to win that game and we did."

Still, they know the Dodgers aren't going to go down easy the rest of the way. Los Angeles still features one of the deepest and most dangerous lineups in the National League and a pitching staff that's been one of the league's best -- along with Milwaukee -- all season long.

"You look at their lineup, they're never going it give up," Shaw said. "I've watched games this year when they were down four or five runs and they've clawed their way back and at least made it interesting. They give themselves a chance every single game and that's why they're here, in this position."

The Dodgers' specific position at the moment, down 1-0 in the series, certainly isn't ideal. Teams winning Game of a best-of-seven LCS have gone on to the World Series 24 of 35 times but rallying against Milwaukee's best relievers, Josh Hader, Jeffress and Knebel, is a reason for the Dodgers' to feel optimistic.

"For us to get a look at these guys out of the pen in a seven-game series, I think that's a good thing," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "And for our guys, for us to have the tying run at third base (in the ninth inning), we did some good things tonight.

"So yeah, the goal is to win a baseball game, but I think that it shows the compete in our guys."

I’ve spent the better part of the last two decades covering sports in Wisconsin for a variety of print, broadcast and online outlets. I’ve been on the Brewers and Bucks beats regularly since 2003 and for the last seven years, I’ve been a Milwaukee correspondent for The Sport...